The latest NJPW show on their Summer Struggle tour brought the start of one of the more forgotten tournaments in the NJPW schedule. It’s time for a bit of spotlight on the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team division… which explains why it’s often forgotten. NJPW was able to put together six teams. Now they will battle it out round-robin style to determine who the best of the best are with the Super Junior Tag League.
L.I.J Picks Up Win Over NEVER Openweight Six Man Champions, But Pinned The Wrong Man For A Title Shot
Before tournament action got started, we had two opening multi-man tag team matches, which show that with Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura gone, NJPW has had to dfg deep to fill spots as Jado was pulled into action. He could have been in the tournament alongside longtime partner Jado, but no one wants him in a tournament. Jado teamed with fellow Bullet Club members Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi in a losing effort to Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, and Toru Yano.
The other opening tag team affair saw the Los Ingobernables De Japon unit of IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & SANDA take on CHAOS members Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & oddly Tomoaki Honma. This got them a win over the NEVER Openweight Six Man Champions. However Honma took the fall which won’t earn a title shot.
BULLET CLUB, Suzuki-Gun, & Eagles and Tiger Mask Pick Up Early Tournament Wins
Getting into tournament action, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles would be teaming with the legendary Tiger Mask IV. They got their first win over Gedo & Dick Togo, who aren’t expected to get any wins in this tournament. If Togo & Gedo get anything, it’ll be a shock. Next up, Suzuki-Gun members El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi. We can expect Suzuki-Gun to have a strong run. They are three time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions after all.
Speaking of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, the main event saw El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori clash with their rivals Roppongi 3K. These are the best two teams in the tournament, making this the match to see from this show. In the end, the champions would slip out a win, giving them an early lead in the tournament.
This puts the champions, Suzuki-Gun & Tiger/Eagles at two points each. The tournament is just getting started. We can expect some twists and turns along the way. Who do you think will ultimately win? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!
